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Friday, January 30, 2009

Before the new Spring/Summer 09 Stampin UP! catalog came out, I decided to search thru the Fall/Winter 2008 catalog for some cards to case. I found this card on page 87 in the center. I changed it a bit to make it simple to make several at once. The colors are Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke and Whisper White. The stamp set is one of my very first stamp sets, Heartfelt Thanks. I just love that set so much! I can do two step stamping, watercolor looking cards. I did use the chalks and tearing edges with this card. It is suppose to be shaped like a heart but looking at this picture...it is not so much like a heart! OY!
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The TOP 5 Things to do at Animal Kingdom in DisneyWorld!#5 Rafiki's Planet Watch - Newly discovered on our last trip! You have to take a small train ride to get to it. It is an amazing discovery into all that Animal Kingdom is all about. They have so many hands-on things and learning about the animals. Check out here:Rafiki's Planet Watch to read all about each part of it. Do not miss it! For all ages!
#4 Festival of the Lion King - This is a great show with great music from the Lion King, great stunts, and great costumes! All ages will love this 28 minute show. It follows the original Lion King movie plot. Allison was 11 months old the first time we went and she just jumped on my lap and was glued to the stage. So cute!
#3 Finding Nemo the Musical - We saw the last Tarzan show in the old theater and then Disney created this most amazing indoor magical musical show called Finding Nemo. This 30 minute show is basically the entire movie from start to finish with super cute songs. The puppetry is so colorful and interesting to watch. I thought the people singing were really good singers to my surprise. Waiting in line before the show is recommend and try to be sitted in the middle or center of the theater. #2 Kilimanjaro Safari - Feel transported half way around the world to a 100 acre African savannah as you board Disney's Kilimanjaro Safari jeeps! It it so amazing to see those live animals around you. I do not like the poacher story and think it is corny but it is Disney so they have to have a theme to go with a ride. My tip would be to get the park early and go get a Fastpass to either the Safari or Expedition Everest. Then run (it is across the park to the other side) to the other one you did not choose and wait in line. Last time, hubby went to get our Fastpass tickets to EE as we 3 waited in line for safari. (bathroom break was the reason to get back in line; everyone does that!)#1 Expedition Everest - A super fast, quick turns, 80 ft drop, backwards, in the dark with a scary beast roller coaster! LOVE IT! Hubby does not like the backwards thing to much. Megan and I think it makes the ride - terrifyingly AWESOME! This is a FastPass ride and I do recommend getting one if you can. We get a parent swap cause Allison can not ride it. Last time, I asked two teenage girls if they wanted to go on the ride with Megan and I cause I had the parent swap that you can take 3 people and yourself to get in the Fastpass lane. They were super excited! That was so fun to give a magical Disney moment to complete strangers! It was like I was on the Year of a Million Dreams Team! LOL
Thanks for checking out our Disney Top 5 today!
Next up is Top 5 at Hollywood Studios!
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The other two make-n-takes made at Wendy's deserve a whole blog for themselves! LaRee brought this very cute pixie stick holder to all to make. She got the idea from another demonstrator. Real Red cardstock cut 1.5" x 9" and scored at 3.5, 4 and 8. Punch three 1.4" holes on the 1/2" spot. Fold and tape ends together. Then add paper front and ribbon. Attach scallop punch circles to each pixie stick and decorate them as you like. Insert pixie sticks into holder.

This is about the cutest thing I have ever seen! You take two pieces of Big Shot Top Note cutted More Mustard cardstock and tape them to a mini paper bag on each side. Then you punch out a handle using the word window punch. Add ribbon then decorate the front. We used the new stamp set Just Buzzin By. Would this not be cute to give with Bit O Honey candies inside?

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

#5 Innoventions - There is a East and a West side to Innoventions. So make sure you see both of them! They are filled with all kinds of new exhibits each time we go. See here: Innoventions - Epcot for more details on the exhibits.

#4 Turtle Talk with Crush - This is the best show in the Living Seas. This interactive show features a computer-animated version of the surfer dude turtle from "Finding Nemo" in 10-minute conversations with visitors. It is hilarious! I love the interaction between the character and the kids. Our kids love it so much! We taped the first time we went and the guy doing Crush was so funny that sometimes we now feel that the guy doing Crush is not up to par. Still funny though!

#3 Soarin - Now Allison's favorite ride at Epcot! This is such a great ride for all ages! You are literally lifted 40 feet inside a giant projection screen dome and completely surrounded with the beauty and wonder of the state of California as their elevated theater seats take them on a scenic tour over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Redwood forests, Napa Valley, Yosemite and more. Tip we learned - skip Illuminations if you can and go ride this if the Fastpass has been already given out for the day.

#2 World Showcase - This includes all 11 countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, American Adventure or US, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada. Now most say that Epcot is not fun for kids but we feel it is how you present it to them. We do a fun thing at nighttime. It is called 110 minutes around the World! (like 80 days around the world) Basically we go around from country to country and take 10-15 min to each country. The girls do the Kid Stop at each country. They get a mask at the first country and then at each country after they get a stamp and to color it for 5 minutes. Then after all is done, we go to France and buy our desserts (more later in another top 5 post), find a spot for Illuminations and sit and enjoy the atmosphere.

#1 Illuminations - Which leads to our #1 here! This HUGE fireworks/music/techno show is the best! It is a 13 minute show located in the center of the World Showcase Lagoon so viewing it can be anywhere in the World Showcase or any of the countries. Our favorite spots are located by the backgate bridge or the island area in front of the bridge between United Kingdom and France. After the show is over, the park is closing up and we still walk around in the night and lights and soak up the magic of Epcot! You almost feel like you are in those countries!

Thanks for checking my Disney TOP 5 for today!
Next TOP 5 at Animal Kingdom!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Here are two of the four Make-n-takes that I got to create at our Starz meeting earlier in January. Wendy always has some great things for us to make! Things that I have seen on other blogs but never take the chance to make them.

This is a simple card using the Love Bunch Bundle set special. You get a stamp set, 12x12 papers and heart to heart punch for around $42.00 plus tax/shipping. As soon as I got mine, I have been making LOTS of cards with it. The colors used are Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Riding Hood Red, and Very Vanilla.
This acetate box was quite a challenge for me. Working with the acetate was new to me and complex to put this box together but I LOVE the end result. You could put candies in the box as it open at the top. Actually put these two together and it makes a complete Valentine's gift!

Friday, January 23, 2009

So here are the ladies on Wendy's team and all their great swaps! They amaze me each meeting we have! Very talented and creative women in this group! Lucky me!
First is Michelle's Big Shot Top Note card. Using the new Love Bunch stamp set and "pop" a fake flower!
This is Ellen's card. Love this card size of 3 x 6. She is using
Eastern Blooms Stamp set and I love that Pink Striped ribbon!
This is Wendy's card. This stamp set is a new level 2 hostess set from the new catalog. I love how she cut into the flowers and inserted the square senitment frame. See the touch of spots around the edges...Bitty Background Stamps...her favorite!
This is LaRee's card. She is using everything from the Love Bunch Bundle Special that came out. The paper, punch and stamp set. I love the hearts punched out of the striped paper.
Great detail in this card!
I feel terrible cause I can not remember this wonderful lady's name. Forgive me!She is using the Love Bunch Bundle as well but showing the birds from this stamp set. Another 3 x 6 card too.
This is Monika's card. She used a new flower stamp set called Petal Pizazz from the new catalog out now. Then she took scrap ribbon that she had and attached them with staples. Great idea! Now I need to save all my scraps of ribbon!
Thank you to all the ladies for swapping! It is such fun to swap, see new things and get new ideas!
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Our TOP 5 Things to Do at the Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld!#5 Mad Tea Party - Hubby loves this ride for some insane reason! I am not a spinning ride person so he and the girls go on it together. It is "their" thing. They get it spinning pretty fast! FYI - Do not eat before riding this! Another neat tip is sometimes Alice and the Mad Hatter come over to ride this with guests. Very neat!
#4 Tomorrowland Indy Speedway - Allison and I had to pick this one! I remember this ride when I was a little girl and driving with my Dad. It was so cool to drive it myself even if he pushed down the peddle to make it go. When Megan was 3, I did the ride with her. Then when Allison was 2, I went on with her and it is her favorite ride and it must be done each and every time we go to the MK.
#3 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - It seems like we always do this ride at the end of the day at the park and at least twice due to low wait time. It is a great 5 minute interactive ride where you get on space cruisers that moves at a slow forward speed and you can make the vehicle spin around as they shoot at targets of Zurg. http://allears.net/tp/mk/mk_buzz.htm Read this for more tips on how to score big points on the ride!
#2 The 3 Mountains - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are the 3 coaster/water rides. Space Mountain is a very fast- in the dark roller coaster. It rocks! Splash Mountain is a log water ride that has a 5-story drop so plan on getting wet! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a semi fast roller coaster that is a great coaster for the first time riders and young that measures 40".
#1 Wishes - This 12 minutes of pure joy and hope are the highlight of MY trips! I even bought the CD of it and listen to it often. And yes, it can bring tears to my eyes. This firework display is released behind Cinderella Castle. Now you can see and hear thoughout the park but the best places to see Wishes are in the hub as you enter the park looking towards the castle, the Rose garden area if you want to see Tinker Bell fly overhead, center Main street near Casey's Hot dogs (shown above), and the train depot at the entrance (shown above) but with all of these....get there early to reserve your spot!
Thanks for checking out our TOP 5 at Magic Kingdom!
Next is TOP 5 at Epcot!
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Earlier this month, I went to my upline Wendy's house for a team meeting. We do a card swap and the theme was Valentine's or something from the catalog. I will be showing other swapcards on a later post. They are all so great!
I wanted to do a card that could be transfered into something else. So I made my cards to measure 4 x 6 for them to put it in a frame to display. Would you not frame a special card if you got one? This is what I came up with. It is Valentine's related but could be for everyday as well.
I used Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White cardstock. I used the stamp set called A Happy Heart. See the scallop punch? I used my 1/8" punch to do the holes. It is the newest trend in cards. You will also see it with the scallop circle punch too. I used my Cuttlebug texture Swiss Dots plate for the background. Guess what? Stampin Up! is now coming out with texture plates for the Big Shot in the new catalog that just came out!!! I added the Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon to the frame making it come out of the glass portion. That way it was not mushed in there. Brown frame I got at Walmart for $2.00 and it works so well with the card.
I love the way it turned out and I hope all the ladies put theirs in a frame to display too. I have been making more cards that are 4 x 6 to send out as well.
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Over the next five weeks, I will be posting our top 5's of Disney. I have asked my hubby and girls to help me in this listing of our top 5's. I will also give a small reason as to why it made the list.

TOP 5 Disney Resorts:

#5 Animal Kingdom Lodge - pros: to see the animals from your room, great pool and animal viewing areas. cons: so far away from the other parks besides AK and the restaurants are not our flavor of food.

#4 Contemporary Resort - pros: Chef Mickey's and other restaurants, location to the MK and monorail. cons - rooms are like hotel rooms which DVC is opening soon a DVC wing at the Contemporary.

#3 Wilderness Lodge - pros: awesome dining! even quick service food area Roaring Fork, the pool and springs area, the mission/log style resort design. cons: only the boat goes to Contemporary or MK so location is a problem.

#1 Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa - pros: Downtown Disney access, great pools, spa(need I say more there), golf, good dining and quick service food, and family related activities. cons: largest resort so request near lobby or pool but easy to get a room anytime.

Monday, January 19, 2009

So today is two for one! Friday just got away from me so I decided to post both cards that I made for hubby's boss to give to his wife. I did make matching envelopes for each card as well.
The first one is done in Baha Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy, Basic Gray and Whisper White cardstock. I used the Pocket Silhouettes and Best Yet hostess stamp sets. I cased this card from darleenstamps on Splitcoasters.com. I love the colors together! Inside I stamped "Happy Anniversary" from the Hugs & Wishes stamp set. It was fun to make this one!
This card is cased from Nancy on http://stampinat6213.blogspot.com/. I just love her blog!

I used Soft Sky, Basic Gray and Whisper White cardstock. I used Season of Joy and Hugs & Wishes stamp sets. I also used some Soft Sky DS paper. I thought this was a beautiful card and just had to make it.

So I have been working hard on making 6 cards per day. I have many to show over the next few weeks!

Have a magical day!

Cindy

p.s. A new SU! catalog comes out today! You can check it out here after noon: http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/default.asp I have seen some previews and leaks from Leadership and too many cute things in this new catty!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

So I was searching the news in Disney and discovered this new venture called Disney Design-A-Tee Shop in Downtown Disney. Check out this review of it here on AllEars.net : Disney Design-A-Tee (The “World” According to Jack) It looks really cool inside. Check out the tubes that send the mini t-shirt to the back to magically make bigger and printed! This is one spot we will have to go to in September on our trip! I have always wanted a blue Cinderella t-shirt with my name Cindy on it. Surely it can be created there! I love all Disney t-shirts and I have several.

Reminds me that we did order custom t-shirts/sweatshirts for our holiday trip in Dec 05. Everyone wore theirs except for my uncool Dad who wanted to remain cool. Hubby wore it for a little bit for my happiness. Ah, memories.

So did you guess the weekend vacation spot? It is......

Asheville NC!!! They are staying at Grove Park Inn and Spa. I will post the birthday/anniversary cards in tomorrow's post.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

My post today is a series of seven 3x3 notecards that I made for hubby's boss. He is planning a secret weekend get away for his wife and wanted to give her gifts each day with a card that holds a hint.
For examples: the snowflake card went with a crystal snowflake ornament; the Leaf went with a leaf candle; the heart in a frame went with a picture album.

Colors used are So Saffron and retired Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate. Did you see the hearts are from the new punch coming out? LOVE IT!

Can you guess by the cards where they are going?
Think snow, mountains, spa, trees, not that far from here... Let you know tomorrow after they leave and post the other two cards I made for him.
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Here are pictures from yesterday - Abigail's birthday! The whole family is so happy that she is finally here! Congrats to Jon and Lois!
Here is proud Dad Jon as he came out to tell us of her arrival. All he said over and over..."that was a miracle!"
Below are pictures of her at 4 hours old. She is so sweet! 7lbs 12oz and 19" long. Born at 12:35pm. Her fingers and nails were so long. She had her eyes open and sucking her fingers. It was time for a meal. 10 toes and 10 fingers. Healthy and doing great! Perfect little baby girl!

They got into their room around 4pm, so I headed back up to the hospital with the girls. We got there and Jon was getting their luggage so we got to help him back up to their room. So the girls got to come in the room too. (they were really not allowed) They got lucky and both were so happy that they got to see Lois, Jon and Abigail! We stayed long enough for them both to hold her and me too! How blessed we are to now get to watch her grow up and be apart of her life!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Can you take a guess who is arriving today? My niece ABIGAIL LEE ! We all have been waiting so long to meet her!
Here is the name banner I made for her nursery. I used the Big Shot to cut out the pennants in Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip. I used the letter chipboard to trace the name in Chocolate Chip and cut them each out. I attached with brown ribbon and then tied different ribbons in between each pennant. See the close up of the letter A for details. You can see I added the white gel pen dots too.
Sister in law Lois and brother Jon have a scheduled C section at noon today, so I am going to the hospital to see her right away! I will try to post pictures later of this precious one. Say a prayer that all goes well.
UPDATE: Abigail Lee born at 12:35pm weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19" long. Mom, Dad and baby girl are all well! Post a picture later as soon as I get one! Got to see video of her and she is soooo cute! Check back in the morning! Decided to make it my Tuesday post cause I many pics to show.
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Friday, January 9, 2009

Here are some organizers that I made for my craft shows. I got the idea from my genius upline Wendy. I made a light blue one at a class of hers and I just loved it! It holds everything you need to send notes or cards. It comes with two cards and matching envelopes, pen, and two notepads.
The first one is done in a so saffron placemat from the Dollar Store that is folded at the bottom and tied up to make pouches with brown ribbon. I used a 12x12 chocolate chip cardstock for the background and stamped flowers on it also in chocolate chip. I used old olive cardstock to make the name tag, stamp holder, notepad holder and cards. I used scallop punch cut flowers on the cards with Bella paper circle punch for the center of the flowers. The RSVP pen has stamped paper inside the pen. I still have 3 of these available to sell at $12.50 each. I gave some as gifts to my friends at Christmas time. Another idea would be to make this to hold a calendar instead of the notepads.
This one is done for a little girl's room. Everything they need to write a note and send cards. Love the touch of markers in the bottom pouch. I have 1 left to sell for $12.50. My girls are getting a teal and purple version of this organizer but with calendars soon. Post those later when finished.
So this is not so much a festive item but it is festive in the fact that we are all trying to get into this organized time of year!
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Thursday, January 8, 2009

What is new for DisneyWorld in 2009?
In addition to the "Celebrate Today" Birthday celebration which you have seen all over the television, there are two more new events coming your way: The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure debuting in late January, and the American Idol Experience debuting in mid-February. Stay tune for more info at a later post.
Also in the parks, a new deal with Verizon will start to have special features available to you on your cell phone, with some features available to everyone and others only available to those with Verizon phones. Some features include the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters and more. Now this will be interesting if it goes thru!
There are new Disney Vacation Club resorts opening throughout the year. The Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Villas will open in May. The Treehouse Villas, to be part of the Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, are scheduled to open this summer. Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort, is scheduled to open this fall. At the Disneyland Resort, the Grand Californian Villas are scheduled to open this fall, as well. We are so excited as we hope to take advantage of these openings next year!
New shopping and dining experiences will begin to take shape on the former site of Pleasure Island's nightclubs. This will make the Downtown Disney even bigger and better! All the once three district names of West End, Marketplace and Pleasure Island will give way to a single "Downtown Disney." It is the place we start and end our trips!
Finally, the introduction of the new Quick Service Dining Plan provides another option for guests, though it may also become the offered option during any future free dining promotions, at least for those staying at value or moderate resorts. Hope to get more info on this at a later post.
Source : http://www.mouseplanet.com/
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I LIVE!
Feeling better tonight, so I wanted to post this very cute thank you card that I cased from someone last year. It is a favorite card of mine to make for the after holiday thank you cards. I used Basic black, Basic gray, Whisper White and Soft Sky cardstock. The stamp sets are Punch Pals, Season of Joy and a very older set which I do not remember the name of. I used craft ink on white to do the background swirl. I colored in the penquin using ink markers. Of course my favorite saying "Thanks snow much!"
I just got my newest SU! order and wait til you see what I have to show you all!
I have made time this weekend to do lots of stamping!
Have a magical night!
Cindy

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Hello,
Sorry I have been MIA but this cold still has me on my butt. I am feeling a bit better today so I hope to post something later on. If not then surely tomorrow.
School started back today so thank goodness for that. But they were both very tired this morning. "Too early" Allison complained.
So trying to get back to our normal schedule.
Have a magical day!
Cindy

Thursday, January 1, 2009

The first day of 2009 has started out slow for me. I woke up extremely late and could not talk! All that late night playing Rock Band Wii has taken a toll on my voice. We had good friends over last night for pizza and Wii. 6 adults and 6 kids! Great fun! Then our neighbors came over to ring in the new year together like we have done for the past umpteenth years.
So this afternoon, I checked Ali Edwards' blog for her new word of the year. Each year, she picks a word of the year to go by. Check it out here: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/ I love her blog and all she creates.
It was hard for me to pick just ONE word. Many run thru my head when I think of what lies ahead for 2009.
I could pick my word PAUSE. Like pause before I ... speak, eat, spend, judge, yell, and say yes to anything.
Then I could pick the word SIMPLIFY. I have a lot of unfinished projects for stamping, scrapbooking and the house. I'd like to finish those before starting anything new. Kind of a goal for me to get done this winter. I'd also like to simplify my house as in getting rid of some stuff and focusing on what's really important.
Many other words come to mind but these stay with me the most for 2009.
Can you pick a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?Let me know if you pick a word and what it means to you.
I am going to take Friday off to relax and refresh. Take down Christmas decorations and return my house to normal conditions. I will be back on Monday Jan 5th with new projects to post.
Have a few magical days!
Cindy

Cindy Schuster

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about me:

My life involves being a mom, wife, friend, full time employee, youth director at our church, and Stampin Up Demonstrator! I love being creative and crafty but mostly I love sharing with all of you here!